Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1887-03-05
A Check on immigration.

In some part Of the west, notably in
Wisconsin, there is a movement to d.
away with what is called the premium OF
immigration now offered by every state of
the Union. Foreigners settling in the
country are put upon probation before be
ing allowed to exercise the right of voting:
and this period of probation, it is said, is
too b1ief to afford any assurance to society
that the new citizen has taken the pains
to beco ne acquainted with his duties and
impressed with a sense of his responsible
ties. It is proposed in Wisconsin to re-
auire a residence of five years before the
newcomer shall be allowed to vote. This
is the term which is prescribed by the
present Federal law. The Wisconsin State
Labor Commissioner made inquiry by cir
cular letter, some time ago, as to the feel
ing Of the people with regard to the re-
striction of immigration. He received 4S4
Sixty-three persons were OPP
posed to restriction, 351 favored a modi-
fed form Of it, and seventy were for pro
hibiting immigration. This result seems
to the Commissioner and to some other
persons to be a highly significant one, the
rather because that many of those who
were in favor of checking the influx of
foreigners were themselves foreign born.
The population Of the state of Wiscon-
sin in 1880 was about 100000; OF these,
100000 were natives and 100000 foreign
ers, There should have been in such a
population / in 20, at the very least, with
opinion to express on a question so serious
as the one put by the Labor Commissioner;
but it is to please something less than | in
40 that the reformers of Wisconsin pro-
pose to change the law of the state. It is
less than ten years ago that the people OF
California voted at a general election on
the question whether Chinese immigration
should or should not be prohibited. There
were but 800 votes in favor Of the Chinese
a practically unanimous decision against
rhem-and those who care to look over
the files Of the eastern papers Of that time
will be struck and entertained by the uni
versal denunciation OF the Californians as
unworthy Americans. Without fighting
over again the old battle, it is enough te
say that the people of California had theil
excuse; the Chinese do not become Cit
Zens.
If Wisconsin obeys her oligarchy Of 421
what excuse has she to offer? None what
ever So far as these 421 represent any
thing, they represent a combination of ma
tive and of foreign s%elfshness n inso
Ience and Observation-Disclosures. Whethe1
born in New England, or in Germany, O
in Scandinavia, these men, having climbed
to a certain height of prosperity, propose
to kick down the ladder. that no n elst
may use it. This is the plain English o
their talk. They try. cunningly enough
to bewilder honest folks by charging on
easy immigration laws with the response
bility for the Anarchist murders in Chica
go, and the half-silly, half-devilish chatte
of Most. The immigration laws have n,
more to do with the matter thar the tariff
perhaps not quite as much. These luna
tics are murderers come to America, no
because Wisconsin allows them to vote ii
two years, and another state in six months
but because they are told That they can sa,